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The day that was at the Florida Capitol — March 25

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Wednesday at the state Capitol we learned when the House and Senate begin talking to each other about a state budget what the focus of the discussion will be. We’ve watched the respective leaders draw lines in the sand. And we’ve seen the positions harden. And now, as we approach the mid-point of the 10-week legislative session it’s clear that the major difference between the House’s $76.2 billion proposed budget and the Senate’s $80.4 billion spending plan rest on an…

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Charlotte’s Web fix clears committee stop

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The Senate Regulated Industries took about 90 minutes to do what the Department of Health, growers and investors haven’t been able to do since last August — agree on a regulatory structure allowing the planting of Florida’s first legal marijuana crop. ā€œThis is about fulfilling a promise,ā€ said state Sen. Rob Bradley about his glitch bill for a Charlotte’s Web law passed last year but blocked from implementation by lawsuits. ā€œThere are simply too many inherent flaws in the system…

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The day that was in the Florida Capitol — March 23

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This day in Florida Politics the Senate had the Capitol to itself while the House traveled back to Tallahassee. While Senate committees considered three separate tax-cut proposals, Gov. Rick Scott kicked off a ā€œCut My Taxes Weekā€ by setting up a booth in the state Capitol where an average Florida family can calculate its savings from different proposals. The Commerce and Tourism Committee approved state Sen. Dorothy Hukill’s measure to keep alive a sales and use tax exemption for industrial…

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Eyeball wars II: Senate OKs bills letting retailers set price for contacts

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The Senate Health Policy Committee on Monday gave the nod to a bill that would restrict contact lens manufacturers from preventing retailers from selling or advertising contact lenses below a set price. The bill, SB 1400 by state Sen. Tom Lee, brought lobbyists from Las Vegas, Utah, and Washington, leadingĀ former Senate President Don GaetzĀ to joke that Lee, also a former Senate president, deserved the “Visit Florida” award for the numberĀ of lobbyists who traveled to the state to testify on the…

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Charlotte’s Web hearing scheduled for April 14

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An administrative law judge has scheduled a hearing for April 14 on a rule challenge for the state’s Charlotte’s Web law. Judge Elisabeth W. McArthur has scheduled the hearing for 9:30 a.m at the DeSoto Building in Tallahassee. It is the second legal challenge filed against the Department of Health over proposed regulations to grow marijuana and dispense medicinal cannabis oil. In preparation for the hearing DOH is beefing up its legal team. The Department has informed McArthur that Tallahassee…

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Senate scales back ‘whiskey & wheaties’ bill

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State Sen. Denise Grimsley’s effort to tear down the wall has morphed into moving the door. More than 100 people crowded into a Senate meeting room Wednesday when the Regulated Industries Committee considered a proposal ending a prohibition on grocery stores stocking liquor and spirits alongside beer and wine. Grimsley fought back against an unfriendly amendment offered by state Sen. Jack LatvalaĀ that addressed a quirk in the 1930s law requiring grocers to have a separate outside entrance –- actually a…

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Five minutes with Tom Lee — Talk of playing cards while building a budget

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The Senate Appropriations chairman is drawing a line in the sand. State Sen. Tom Lee wants clarity on healthcare spending before moving forward on building a budget and both state Sens. Aaron Bean and Renee Garcia are looking for the money to help him produce a balanced spending plan. The federal Low Income Pool program expires in June and the more than billion dollars it funnels to safety net hospitals evaporates. Lee said that’s an ā€œuntenable propositionā€ for the Senate,…

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